The Borno State Police Command has urged residents of Maiduguri, the state capital, to remain calm following Wednesday night’s explosion at Giwa Barracks.
It clarified that the incident was a ‘friendly-fire’ and not the result of an enemy attack.
In a statement, the command’s spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent Nahum Daso said that preliminary investigations revealed that the explosions originated from the barracks’ armoury.
The statement read, in part: ‘Following reports received of explosions heard in Maiduguri, preliminary investigations indicate that the detonation originated from a friendly-fire incident at Giwa Barracks armoury.
‘No enemy attack recorded, and the security situation remains firmly under control’.
The police spokesman noted that security forces, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) experts and the fire service are currently on the scene working to extinguish the resulting blaze.
‘We call on members of the public to remain calm, as the situation is under control.
‘Further details and updates will be provided as more information becomes available’, he stated.
Meanwhile, the state government has clarified that the fire outbreak that led to the explosion of the armoury in the barracks may have been triggered by the extreme heat in the state
A statement earlier by the Directorate of Fire Service at the state Ministry of Information and Internal Security, however, indicated that the fire has been put out.
The statement read: ‘The fire incident affected the ammunition facility within the barracks, and some munitions have exploded, causing loud bangs.
‘Preliminary investigation revealed that the intense heat in Maiduguri around this time of the year may have triggered or conflagrated the fire.
‘A combined team of first responders from the Nigerian Army Fire Service, Federal Fire Service and Borno State Fire Service have duly report at the scene and successfully put out the fire’.
